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Although the 1913 F A cup had its fair share of upsets it still produced a never before seen cup final between the two teams who had fought out the League Championship. League runners up Aston Villa took revenge for losing the title race to Sunderland in a bad tempered encounter in which a penalty was missed for the first time in a final. A top two cup final would not be repeated for another seventy-three years.

Southern League strugglers Bristol Rovers had thirce faced top flight opposition during the previous decade and lost narrowly on each occasion. This time they faced a Notts County side whose away form in the league would ultimately ensure their relegation while the cup had seen them humbled in consecutive seasons by Southern League Swindon. Rovers were no Swindon but, on a day when eight of the first round ties fell to the weather, and six others had to be abandoned, they were more than a match for the visitors. Harold Roe neatly headed home a corner to send them on their way but in teaming rain, Eastville remained a tense place until another corner was met by James Shervey whose shot looked to be going wide until the unfortunate Bert Morley helped it into the net. Rover's cup run continued in the second round with the defeat of fellow non leaguers Norwich but in round three they were outclassed by Everton, going down 0-4.

Second division Huddersfield had never been beyond the first round before and that record looked like remaining as they entered the final ten minutes of their first round tie trailing United 1-2. Then mother nature stepped in and the blizzard conditions, which had prevailed throughout the country became bad enough to force the referee to abandon the tie. Four days later Huddersfield, led by the ex Scotland and Newcastle star Jimmy Howie impressively swept aside United. Armour's cross gave Mann the chance to open the scoring before Jee unluckily missed the chance to double the lead before the interval when he struck the crossbar. Tom Elliott gave them the perfect start to the second priod when he fought his way through straight from the kick off the make it two-nil. Sandy Mutch gave the first division side a lifeline when he dropped the ball at Gillespie's feet but United's revival was killed off when Elliott got his second of the game. Town were upset themselves by Southern League Swindon in the second round but the seeds were being sown for a side who would dominate the early twenties with Sandy Mutch and Frank Mann {pictured} gaining cup winners medals in 1922.

West Ham had gone from being a little known east London side two years earlier to one of the capital's most celebrated sides, thanks in no small part to their having claimed four First division scalps in the last two cup competitions. This tie with last season's cup finalists, Albion had fallen victim to the arctic weather on the Saturday but did get replayed two days later, ending in a draw. Hopes were high with home advantage in the replay but Albion forced a 2-2 draw with the FA opting, a little surprisingly to stage the second replay at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge, rather than opting for a neutral city venue. The Southern League side got off to a great start through George Hilsdon and two well timed goals either side of half time sealed Albion's fate. The Hammers thus earned a trip to title chasing Aston Villa in the second round where they went down 0-5, the Villains going on to win the cup. George Hilsdon had started out at Upton Park before being virtually given to Chelsea nine years earlier. The man who became known as "Gattling gun" Hilsdon scored the goal which propelled the Stamford Bridge outfit into the top flight and earned him international honours with England. Hilson began to lose form though and there were rumours that he was battling with alcoholism by the time Chelsea sold him back to West Ham to replace their previous hero Danny Shea who had moved on to Blackburn. Like so many of his colleagues, the war virtually ended Hilsdon's career as he suffered lung damage when gassed at Arras in 1917. His existance was a meagre one after that, at one time being part of the famous Fred Karno troupe while he also ran a pub lottery scam in which the prize, sually a box of chocolates was always won by his wife. Hilsdon died in 1941, almost forgotten by all who saw him in his playing days with just four relatives attending his funeral in an unmarked grave.

Reading fans had been waiting twelve years for revenge over Tottenham in the cup as their faithful hadn't forgotten Tottenham defender, Sandy Tait punching the ball off the line during their 1-1 draw in the 1901 competition. The referee missed it, Reading didn't get the late penalty that would surely have taken them into the semi finals, and Tottenham won the replay. To make matters worse Spurs then also destroyed a hapless West Bromwich Albion side in the semi final and went on to win the cup. Reading fans remained convinced that if justice had been served in the quarter final then their heroes would have achieved the same results against Albion and Sheffield United. Tottenham fans however could rightly point to the trophy itself which has thier name inscribed upon it in 1901 and say that the rest is all just ifs buts and maybes. They couldn't begrudge Reading's tiny moment of revenge however with this cup upset as Reggie Pinfield settled a largely uneventful tie at Elm Park in which the first leaguers dominated for seventy minutes without ever troubling the Reading defence. Strangely Reading's best spell of the game came only after they had been effectively reduced to ten men with Jack Smith manfully playing on despite having broken a rib. Reading got the perfect draw in round three as they welcommed League Champions Blackburn to Elm Park and for a time another shock was on when Joe Bailey put them in front but Rovers quickly levelled and ground Reading down to win the tie in the second half.

The only club in the history of the Football League to have the name of their ground in brackets in their name. Officially though the club were always referred to as simply Bradford by the press while the club known by that moniker today were always referred to as Bradford City, much like the Dundee clubs today. Bradford lived in the shadow of their neighbours across the city, a task made more difficult by the fact that soccer in general lived in the shadows in a rugby league hotbed. Bradford's progress to their first ever appearance in the third round had all been on home soil, knocking out Lancashire Combination side Barrow in a replay, having bought home advantage after being held in the first game before second division Wolves were easily sent packing in round two. The visit of Sheffield Wednesday would be only the second time a top flight club had visited Park Avenue, the previous being neighours City who had left victorious by the only goal in the previous year's competition. Wednesday were flying in the top flight though, tied with three other teams at the top of the table and really fancying their chances of the league and cup double. Bradford dominated the first half and deservedly took the lead when Spoors was caught flat footed by Smith, who fired home. And it should have been two before soone after but for the referee not being sharp enough to notice that Teddy Davison carried the ball over the line when stoppng Tommy Little's shot. Bradford looked like they would be made to pay for that when Sam Kirkman levelled but the home side weren't to be outdone and in a blistering second half netted the winning goal through David Howie. Few Bradford fans were too upset when Aston Villa easily despatched them in the next round.

Promotion chasing Burnley's contest with Middlesbrough had the football specials rolling into the town all morning and when the Clarets fell behind midway through the first half the travelling Boro fans thought that it was job done. Bert Freeman was the difference as the ex Everton man set up the equaliser for Teddy Hodgson before scoring twice in a heated and frantic second half to set up a dream trip to local rivals and defending League champions Blackburn in the quarter finals.

At Ewood Park, a fortnight after the victory over Middlesbrugh, Burnley pulled off a huge result against their local rivals, and League Champions Blackburn. Unsurprisingly Rovers had by far the better of things but the crucial goal came from Tommy Boyle on the half hour before Jerry Dawson took on a man of the match role. The Burnley keeper repeatedly foiled the Rovers front line with the best chance coming right at the death when Jock Simpson had a great chance only to get his feet tangled. To the delight of the travelling Burnley contingent, who outnumbered the home fans and cheered wildly as the shot went out for a throw.Burnley held the champions elect Sunderland to a replay in the semi final before losing a cracker of a replay 2-3. Promotion was achieved at the end of the season and Burnley returned to Ewood Park for a league encounter on New Year's day 1914 where they left with a point, while Middlesbrough took revenge for their cup exit at Turf Moor in April. Not that the Burnley fans cared that much as Bertie Freeman scored the winner against Liverpool later that month in the cup final with Bamford, Taylor, Boyle and Lindley also picking up winner's medals.